


With or Without You

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: F/M, I couldn't actually kill Lisbon off, I couldnt, I love her too much, I was going to write her as dead, One where she died, Personally I like the one where she doesn't die, So I wrote two endings, and I wanted to try something new, and one where her and Jane just suck face, but I don't explicitly say it, but i just, but some people like to suffer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 14:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9328403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Lisbon is shot, and Jane must face his feelings towards her.There's two endings. One where she lives. And one where she doesn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This actually pained me to write because I love Lisbon too much and it hurts me to hurt her that's why there's two endings

They were out in the field when it happened. It was so unexpected. He couldn't have done anything about it, but he still felt responsible for it. The fact that he couldn't protect her. The fact that she took a bullet for him.   
It all happened so fast. He barely even knew what was happening. He saw the shooter, but didn't think to move until he was shoved out of the way by a seemingly unstoppable force.   
Back to an hour ago. Jane and Lisbon were following a lead on Red John. They had gone to investigate a cabin deep within the woods. It was very out of the way, and you had to drive along a dirt road to reach it. Kind of a pretty place, in Jane’s opinion. And that's when he saw it. Painted on the side of the cabin. Red John’s signature bloody smile.   
The cabin was empty. The only sign of anyone being there in the past was a bloodstain in the floorboards. It looked old, probably a few months. Red John hadn't been there in months. Great. Another lead gone cold.   
Then, a rustling in the woods. They both looked around to the door, but no one was there. At least, they thought it was no one.   
After about twenty minutes, they decided to leave the cabin. It probably didn't have any real evidence anyway. The blood might be worth something, but forensics moved slowly in the CBI. They wouldn't know who's blood it was for a while.   
Then, the rustling in the woods again. A man dressed in all black, holding a rifle directly at Jane.   
Just as the man pulled the trigger, Lisbon slammed into Jane, slamming him to the ground. The man then ran into the woods. Jane was about to run off after him when he noticed that Lisbon wasn't getting up. And then he noticed the blood. Lisbon had been shot in the side. From what he could tell, it hadn't hit any vital organs, but he wasn't a doctor. She must've had some internal bleeding.   
He kneeled down beside her. “Lisbon! Oh god, Lisbon.” He pulled his jacket off and pressed it to her wound in an attempt to stop the blood.   
“No, Jane…” she said, clearly in enormous pain. “Follow him.”   
He shook his head. “Lisbon, I’m not leaving you.”   
He took one hand off of her wound and patted his pockets, locating his phone. Thank god he had service. He dialed 911, yelling into the phone that his partner had been shot. The operator said that the ambulance would be there in fifteen minutes. Jane yelled at them to get there faster.   
For a few minutes which felt like hours, they sat there in silence, Jane still applying pressure to her wound. Finally, Lisbon broke the silence.   
“Jane, you could've followed him.” She muttered.   
Jane looked at her, and in that moment there was more pain in his eyes than he had ever shown before. “No, Lisbon. I wouldn't do that to you.”   
“But he probably has something to do with Red John. Catching him could've brought us closer to catching Red John.” She said.   
“That doesn't matter right now.” Jane said, in the voice of a man who had seen too many people he had loved die.   
Lisbon frowned. “Jane, your whole life revolves around catching Red John. What makes me so…” she paused, cringing in pain. “Important.”   
Jane paused, thinking about how to answer her. In fact, he hadn't really even thought about it himself. His first instinct was always to protect Lisbon. What did that mean?   
It finally dawned on him. It had taken him so long to realize it, because it was an emotion he hadn't faced in a long time. He realized that he was in love with her. And he couldn't stand to see her hurt.   
But he couldn't just tell her that. He knew she probably felt something towards him, but she would never admit it. So he came up with the next best excuse. “I care about you, Lisbon. You're my partner, and my friend.”   
Lisbon gritted her teeth in pain. She looked like she might protest, but instead, she said, “Thank you, Jane.”   
He took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “You'll be ok, Lisbon.”  
She nodded, and they spent the rest of their time waiting for the ambulance in silence. 

Throughout Lisbon’s surgery, Jane paced around the waiting room, anxiously waiting to hear from the doctors about her condition. It was hours before he heard anything. The receptionist tried to reassure him that the doctors knew what they were doing, and that he shouldn't worry. But he couldn't stop himself from worrying.   
Finally, a nurse walked up to him. “She’s stable.”   
Jane sighed in relief. “Oh, thank god.”   
The nurse didn't appear so happy, though. “The bullet did a lot of damage, she might have to go back into surgery later.”   
Jane ran a hand through his hair. “But she’s ok right now.”   
The nurse nodded. “Yes, and you can see her if you want.”   
“Yeah, I do.” Of course he wanted to see her. She was the most important person in the world to him.   
He silently followed the nurse to Lisbon’s room. It broke his heart to see her so weak. Lisbon was one of the strongest people he had ever met. She would get through this. Wouldn't she?


	2. Ending 1: Sad Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane reveals his feelings for Lisbon before something terrible happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE ENDING WHERE LISBON DIES  
> KEEP IN MIND I DO NOT EXPLICITLY SAY SHE DIES BUT SHE DOES

“Hey Lisbon.” Jane said quietly, pulling a chair beside her hospital bed.   
She smiled when she saw him. “Hey Jane.”   
“How're you feeling?” He asked.   
She smirked. “Like I've been shot.”   
Jane smiled. “Well, that's to be expected.”   
Lisbon held her hand out and Jane gladly took it in his. The warmth of her hands was comforting.   
Then, Lisbon clenched her eyes shut in pain. Whatever painkillers they had her on clearly weren't enough. After a moment, she muttered, “Jane, if I… if I don't make it…”   
Jane frowned. “Lisbon, no. Don't think like that. I'm sure you'll be fine.”   
Lisbon shook her head. “Jane, we have to… we have to face the facts here. I might not survive.” She gripped his hand tightly. “So if I don't make it, I just want you to know that I… I love you.”   
“Lisbon, I…” Jane froze. This was not what he had expected to happen.   
“Listen, Jane, I get that you probably don't feel the same towards me, but I couldn't handle it if I didn't…” Before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off with a kiss. Not just a friendly peck on the cheek, mind you, a full-blown on-the-mouth kiss.  
His heart was racing by the time they finally broke apart. He gently, intimately brushed a hand against her cheek, and said, “Lisbon, I love you too.” 

The rest of the night had Jane sleeping on the chair beside Lisbon’s bed, holding hands with her while he slept. Then, something horrible happened. He woke up to the sound of the heart monitor flatlining.   
“DOCTOR! NURSE! SOMEONE, HELP!” Jane yelled as he quickly stood up. Lisbon’s heart had stopped.   
Jane began to do CPR, but it didn't seem to be helping. A doctor and nurse ran in with a defibrillator, and Jane stood back and watched in horror as they tried to get Lisbon to start breathing again.   
Just when he thought all hope was lost, Jane saw a flicker of a beat on the heart monitor. Her heart was beating again, but just slightly.   
“We need to get her back into surgery.” The doctor said, and before Jane could process what was happening, they had taken her back into the surgery room.   
Jane slammed his hand into the wall. To god, to the universe, to no one in particular, he yelled, “Damnit! This is all my fault. This is…” he broke into sobs. “This is all my fault.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but I just could not write a death scene   
> I couldn't do that to either of them  
> But she does die in this ending I just didn't actually say it


	3. Ending 2: Happy Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane reveals his feelings to Lisbon, and they share a moment together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the ending where Lisbon doesn't die  
> Aka the ending I like better  
> Because I did NOT like killing off Lisbon   
> I wanted to try my hand at writing a death scene plus I got the inspiration because of this U2 song but I did not like this   
> I'm ok with writing like bad guys dying or something (Craig O'Laughlin can SUCK MY ASS) but I just cannot kill Lisbon

“Hey Lisbon.” Jane said quietly, pulling a chair beside her hospital bed.   
She smiled when she saw him. “Hey Jane.”   
“How're you feeling?” He asked.   
She smirked. “Like I've been shot.”   
Jane smiled. “Well, that's to be expected.”   
Lisbon held her hand out and Jane gladly took it in his. The warmth of her hands was comforting.   
“You know, Jane…” Lisbon started, clearly wondering how to say what she was about to say, “I’m glad you stayed with me. In the woods. I'm glad you were there.”  
“Well, we’re partners. We have to be there for each other.” Jane said reassuringly.   
She paused, gathering her thoughts. “Jane, when I was laying in those woods, I got to thinking… I don't… I don't want to die alone.”   
Jane knotted his eyebrows. “Lisbon, you won't die alone. You have friends. And besides, you're not going to die. At least, not now. Maybe in, say, forty years, but by then we’ll have robots...”   
Lisbon gave him a slight smile. “Jane, you know what I mean.”  
He sighed. “Yeah, I do.”   
She pulled her hand from his and reached up to stroke his cheek. It was a small gesture, but it meant so much more. “Jane…”   
He smiled. “I know, Lisbon.”  
Her face grew concerned. “Do you…?”  
“Yes.” He laughed. “Yes, I love you, Teresa.”   
“Good.” She smiled and briefly ran her hand through his hair. Her fingers coursed through his golden curls, sending sparks through his body. “I love you too, Patrick.”   
Then, Jane leaned over and kissed her. It was a good kiss, a full, on the mouth kiss. A kiss that represented ages of longing finally coming to an end.   
The kiss ended much too soon, in Jane’s opinion. He wanted to just kiss her forever. Sure, that was unreasonable, but that didn't matter. Lisbon was everything to him.   
Jane ran his hand through her hair and kissed her again on the forehead. “I love you, Teresa.” He said again, smiling.   
Lisbon pressed her forehead to his. “And I love you, Patrick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See why this is the good ending  
> It's heartfelt and intimate  
> And LISBON DOESNT DIE  
> WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE TO WRITE CHARACTERS DYING  
> IT JUST   
> ITS ALWAYS SO SAD  
> WHY DO YOU DO THAT TO YOURSELF

**Author's Note:**

> The endings'll be different chapters just an fyi


End file.
